The beer pours a dark amber with a slightly reddish hue. It has a well-formed light tan head with tight, compact bubbles. The head disappears within a minute, leaving a thin film on the beer's surface. The malt aroma is heavy with toasty malt and caramel, and the hop aroma is solid, reflecting ... Read More
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Jason Johnson
Beer Judge
Jason Johnson has been homebrewing since 2000 and a ranked judge with the BJCP since 2005. He currently holds the rank of National Judge. Jason was the Co-founder and Co-Host of Brewnology: The Podcast where they explored all avenues of Beer Judging for their listeners. Although the show had a good 2 year run, they ran out of judging content at 50 shows and had to call it quits. Past episodes of Brewnology can still be found on YouTube. Jason is also the author of an e-book titled Roasted: A Homebrewer's Guide to Homeroasting Grain.
Although currently an independent homebrewer no longer active in a local club, Jason was a member of the Manty Malter's homebrew club in, Wisconsin. Jason has held several officer positions within the club including president as well as lead the club's judging education program. He also has a set of free BJCP Prep classes on YouTube to help judges who may not have a nearby club to supplement their self-study. He also helps these people by answering questions via messages. So far the course has been fairly popular and helped some judges in other countries study for their exams.
As a brewer, Jason mostly likes to brew traditional classic styles. He brews a lot of American ales (America Pale Ales, American IPA, and American Pre-Prohibition Lager). Other styles he likes to brew are Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Wit, Saison, Dubbel, and Cream Ale to name a few. As far as craft beer goes, he enjoys tasting and Judging the full gambit of the beer spectrum.
My reviews
Appearance:
4 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
37 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20
This beer pours a crystal clear, light gold color with a very frothy tall white head that displayed excellent retention. The aromas are very typical of what one would expect from a Belgian Blonde. I get a moderate amount of pear-like esters, followed by some sweet, honey-like grainy malt. The... Read More
Appearance:
5 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
I will be judging this beer as category 28C in the BJCP guidelines, Wild Specialty Beer. The beer was described to me as an oak barrel aged blend of a soured one, two, and three year old batch of a blonde ale. While this is reminicent of the gueuze style of beer it's not a true gueuze, as this... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
38 / 40
Mouthfeel:
9 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Syringa Pale Ale by Boise Brewing Co. was judged as category 18B (American pale ale) in the 2015 BJCP guidelines. What we can expect from this beer should be the following: A pale, refreshing and hoppy ale with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and drinkable. The clean hop... Read More
Appearance:
6 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
39 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
18 / 20
Birthday Month Barrel Aged Cake and Ice Cream Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co. was judged as category 33B, Specialty Wood-Aged Beer, in the 2015 BJCP guidelines. The reason being is that this beer is aged in whiskey barrels, Category 33B states that: "This style is intended for beer aged in wood with... Read More
Appearance:
4 / 6
Aroma:
23 / 24
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20
The beer pours a dark amber color with very good clarity. It may be a touch too dark for an IPA, but color is a very minor issue. The head was light tan, with loose, large bubbles that weren't long-lasting but never dissipated either. The malt aroma is of sweet malt, mostly bready caramel with a... Read More